Door catch



June 6, 1939.

BY www.

H. B. GALLINGER DOOR CATCH Filed June 14, v1957 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY Patented June 6, 1939 umfrrzofsmres PATENT OFFICE" `anurm f Doon CATCH w rHiram.Benjamin Gallinger, Superior, Wis.

Application June 14, 1937, serial No. 148,138

10 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in door catches and lifters therefor, the principal object of the invention being to produce a more practical and eiii'cient device of this character than heretofore known, andone in which the operable members are as completely housed as possible. l

Another object is to produce such a device which is more positive in action and one that will care for a door in extreme disaligned'position with the door frame.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear in the following description thereof.

Referring now tothe accompanying drawing, forming Vpart of this application, and wherein like reference characters indicate like parts;

Figure 1 is a central vertical section of one embodiment of the device in open position and in the act of catching a closing door.`

Figure 2 is a front lelevation of the device after such reception and holding the door in closed position.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the device in the position shown in Figure 1 of the drawing.

I represents a door suchr as a screen or storm door or the like, and 2 the door trim, upon which,

the catch is installed as by the screws indicated at 3 through the base plate 4 thereof. This base plate 4 is of substantially U-shape in cross section having the outwardly extending somewhat triangularly shaped side walls 5Y at the lower extremities of which as at 6`is the through pin, supporting externally of said side walls 5 the box like housing 1 which oscillates back and forth 5 on said pin as the door is opened or closed. The upper edges of the side walls 5 are provided with lnotches 8 in which is pivotally supported the trigger member 9 which is bifurcated at its innermost extremity forming finger like side mem- 40 bersA I0 which have inwardly projecting therefrom the lugs I'I which rest within the notches 8 and permit ready rockable motion of the trigger. The free end of this trigger extends through a suitable opening 20 in the top of the housing 5 I for cooperative engagement with the finger proprojection I4 which cooperates with the trigger 9 in gripping or releasing the roller I5 carried upon a finger `like projection I6 secured to the face of the door I and adjacent .the edge thereof.

It will be noted by this construction that when 5 the housing 'I is in its outermost extreme position` the 'axial alignment of the spring I3 is slightly at an angle to the line of draft which would hold the housing in an unbiased condition, so that in this position it is normally biased towards its open position ready for the reception ofthe cooperative attachment carried by the door, whereas when impinged by such attachment with the door with any degree of force as when the door is swung shut it will carry the i housing slightly towards the door opening together with the otherwise free end of the spring beyond that inactive line of stress and bias the housing towards closed position, thus carrying the door to like position for engaging same.

In Figures 1 and 3 the relation of the cooperative parts of the catch may indicate that the door is slightly more correctly hung and free from sag that is usually the case. However, even in such illustration, it is apparent that the door attachment when engaging the finger I4 is slightly lower than when carried to a fully closed position as illustratedin dotted lines, Figure 1, and full lines Figures 2 and 3, where it is slightly raised by the lifting action of the housing l, governed by its pivotal support 6. Were the door considerably more sagged, a like or greater lifting action would occur when the door closed and thus insure its freedom over the threshold of the door and its satisfactory closing.

As a, device for lessening the noise incident to the closing or slamming of the door there is illustrated a rubber cushion or pad I'I held in position by one of the screws 3, or otherwise as desired so that the arcuate base portion of the iin- 40 ger I4 may engage same as the door is closed and thus cushion the sound of same.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a door catch and lifter a vertically elongated U-shaped member, xed adjacent the edge of a door opening, a box-like housing externally of said member and'pivotally supported upon the lower extremities of the side walls of said member, a nger projecting upwardly from the inner open upper face of of said housing, a trigger member rockably engaged upon the side walls of said U-shaped member and extending through an opening in the upper end of said housing for cooperative action with said nger, a contractile spring fixed at one end to said pivotal attachment of said housing and at the other end to said trigger whereby said housing is biased in either of its extreme positions, and a second finger member attached to said door in such a mannner as to engage said rst finger when the door approaches its closed position whereby said second finger is caught between said rst finger and trigger and the door both raised and held securely closed.

2. A door catch comprising a channel shaped bracket portion, a housing pivoted adjacent one end to said bracket portion and having an opening through one end, a trigger pivotally held at one end intermediate the other end of said housing and bracket and having a nger projecting through said opening, and means for biasing the trigger and housing toward the limit of movement in either direction.

3. A door catch comprising a channel shaped bracket portion, a housing pivoted adjacent one end to said bracket portion and having an opening through one end, a trigger pivotally held intermediate the other end of said housing and bracket portion and projectingv through said opening, and a spring for biasing the trigger and housing toward the limit of movement in one direction upon contact of said projection with a xed object.

4. In a door catch and lifter for cooperative engagement with a xed projecting member, a bracket member, a swingable housing pivotally mounted upon said bracket member, a trigger one end of Which is pivotally mounted on said bracket and the other end of which extends through said housing, and means within said housing for biasing it toward the limit of its movement in either direction and holding said trigger pivotally engaged to said bracket.

5. In a door catch and lifter for cooperative engagement with a xed projecting member, a bracket member, a swingable housing pivotally mounted upon said bracket, a trigger one end of which is pivotally mounted on said bracket and the other end of which extends through said housing, and a spring within said housing connected at one end to said trigger and at the other end to said bracket member for biasing said housing toward the limit of its movement in either direction and holding said trigger pivotally engaged to said bracket.

6. A combined door catch and lifter of the type described including a rockable housing portion, a contractile spring for biasing the housing toward the limit of its movement in either direction, a pivotal trigger cooperatively connecting the spring to the housing portion, said housing and trigger being adapted to extend in the path of and cooperatively engage a fixed cooperative member positioned in a plane slightly below the free end of the housing whereby to lift said fixed member upon the free end of the housing and hold same by the stress of the spring applied indirectly through the trigger.

7. In a door catch, a bracket portion having spaced side walls with notches in an edge thereof, a housing pivotally mounted adjacent one end to the sides of said bracket portion and having an opening through its other end, a trigger having a finger extending from one end thereof and projecting through said opening, and lateral lugs at the other end for pivotal support in said notches, spring means connecting said trigger and bracket and holding the lugs in said notches and biasing the trigger and housing toward the limit of movement in one direction.

8. In a door catch having a bracket portion and a trigger portion pivotally associated therewith, a pivotal connection therefor comprising a notch in an edge of said bracket and a lug on said trigger extendable in said notch, and a spring connecting said trigger and said bracket and holding said lug in said notch.

9. In a door catch having a bracket portion and a trigger portion pivotally associated therewith, a pivotal connection therefor comprising a notch in an edge of one of said portions and a lug on the other of said portions extendable in said at the limit of its movement in the other directio-n, and a spring for biasing said housing toward the limit of its movement in either direction, whereby said housing is adapted for lifting and holding engagement with said xed projecting member.

HIRAM BENJAMIN GALLINGER. 

